Saturday, August 27, 2016

Olé - Same old crap as Catholic Church beats back Mexico's marriage equality initiative

Mexico's gay community has been watching a very bad rerun translated into Spanish. Many of the cast-members are the same and as for the script; I know all of the talking points by heart. The Church is obsessed with same-sex marriage and imposing their ideology on public policy.

Before I get into this, national marriage equality in the United States occurred on June 26, 2015. Federal recognition of state approved same-sex marriage occurred on June 26, 2013. America's experience with same-sex marriage dates back to May of 2004. In all that time nothing has occurred that anyone can cite as a negative consequence of same-sex marriage. They talk about some baker or photographer who doesn't want to comply with nondiscrimination laws. That's just deflection. They are at a loss but as I said, they are obsessed.Anyhow, El Pais reports (catch the highlighted section below about promoting homosexuality):

The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) is close to shelving an initiative by President Enrique Peña Nieto
to amend the Mexican Constitution and legalize same-sex marriage. PRI
congressional leaders who control the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate
have made it clear that the proposal is not a priority for them. Some
observers say this move is a sign of their surrender before the more
conservative sectors of the Mexican Catholic Church, which have carried
out a fierce crusade against a measure that would see same sex couples able to marry legally in all 32 states.
[…]
Others say the government is evidently capitulating to the Church. “The bishops are using the weakness of the current administration to push forward their agenda,” says Bernardo Barranco, an expert on religious issues. The sociologist says the laicism of the state is in play at a moment when the president is facing one of the lowest popular ratings on record and fighting opposition groups on several fronts. “Ultraconservative sectors are striking and putting him in a very uncomfortable position.”

Besides their rejection of same-sex marriage, conservatives demand that the government remove all lessons on gender from textbooks used in preschools and primary schools. Catholic conservatives say such teachings promote homosexuality. The Church has also urged its members to join in marches to be held in several cities from September 10 to September 24 to make their voices heard. “This call to action is an important test to measure the Church’s muscle,” Barranco says. Excluding gatherings to welcome Pope Francis, the last big religious march took place in Mexico City 30 years ago. More than 160,000 people filled Zócalo square to protest against abortion rights.

“They are calling for nationwide marches to protect something that is not even at risk,” says Lol Kin Castañeda. No one loses his right when the same privilege is extended to other groups, she explains.